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THE LIGHTERAGE SYSTEM · · INTHE /

A Publication ol The Museum in Conjunction with the Exhibition on the Covered #79

Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey

July 1992 Cover Photo:

ShipYard Workers

Photograph, circa 1910, shows yard workers of the Union Dry Dock & Repair Company, which was headquartered at the time in Weehawken, New Jersey. Presently located in Hoboken, New jersey, Union Dry Dock has been in continuous operation since 1908.

Union Dry Dock was an integral part of the lighterage system, servtcmg maritime equipment in the New York/New jersey harbor. As New jersey's only dry dock facility, Union Dry Dock still employs approximately 100 workers, many of them Hudson County residents. The Hudson Waterfront Museum

presents

THE LIGHTERAGE SYSTEM IN THE NEW YORK/ NEW JERSEY HARBOR

Curated by

Robert Foster and Jane Steuerwald

Presented on the Lehigh Valley Covered Barge #79 Jersey City, New Jersey

July 1992

This exhibition and publication have been made possible through generous funding by the New Jersey Historical Commission. The Lighterage System

Table of Contents

Following is a series of articles written by the curators, Robert Foster and Jane Steuerwald, providing a more in-depth look at the lighterage system. Included in the text are comments by deckhands, tug captains, a barge captain, and other maritime workers that participated in this oral history project.

The ...... 5

The Lighterage System ...... 8

Railroads and the Lighterage System ...... 10

Vessels in the Harbor ...... 12

Lehigh Valley Covered Barge #79 ...... 14

Memories of a Barge Captain ...... 16

Cross Harbor Railroad ...... 18

Maintenance ...... 20

Workers and Their Jobs ...... 22

An Interview with Jack Quimby ...... 24

An Interview with Sal NotariZe ...... 26

Maritime Tools ...... , 28

Sources ...... 31

Hudson Watca·fa•ont Museum

- lV- in the New York I New Jersey Harbor

The Hudson River

"Between 1910 and 1960 New York and New Jersey made up one of the leading in the world."

As you look out over the Hudson River river, the railroad carfloats transporting today, you still may see an occasional freight, and the each sounding pushing a barge up river, a their own individual steam whistles, the moving slowly through the water harbor looked and sounded like a traffic or an bound for the islands · jam in midtown . pulling out of . Between 1910 and 1960, New York and But only a few decades ago the waters New Jersey made up one of the leading and the piers along the New Jersey side ports in the world. As cargo and of the Hudson were swarming with immigrants sailed in from the Atlantic on activity. often had to wait nearly oceanliners, freight was transported two hours just to unload their freight. across the harbor on and lighters, Between the boats moving and people crossed the river on to passengers back and forth across the connect with thirteen different railroad

Hudson Watet•ft·ont Museum

- 5 - The Lighterage System lines on the New Jersey side of the trans-atlantic steamship company docked Hudson. in Hoboken and in 1947 they bought the property making them the only major "I used to go do·wn and sit on the docks late transatlantic steamship company to own at night, before I was due to go on duty, and its own terminal in the port. just listen to those tugboat whistles. Calling back and forth up the harbor. You knew The river itself, in spite of its geography from the sound of the whistle what it affecting a natural port, can be extremely was. At that time, there were 750 tugs in hazardous. At its peak one of the . Each whistle had a hazards for vessels involved in lighterage different sound to it. No two Lackawanna was the continuous traffic. But boats sounded the same. There was a whole congestion alone was not the only system of code signals by whistle before the hazard. Harsh winters and tricky tides days of radio." - Jack Quimby, oiler and could also add to the problems engineer, Lackawanna Railroad marine encountered by tugboats, ferries, and division. carfloats.

At the harbor's peak the "In New York Harbor, you have an ebb and Railroad alone had more than 500 hulls flow of tide. A flood tide. On certain piers, in the water and there were several you can't land with the tide, you've got to go thousand boats in the harbor. Many of against the tide. The other way it'll just the lining the New Jersey side of push you down the river. It's scary when 1 the Hudson were ocean liners. The think of it now. In the wintertime, in ice and history of her docks and piers would not snow, these barges only had about a foot wide be complete without the great ships that walkway around, and if you slipped off, you docked there. had it. You had to be very relaxed. You had to be ready to grab or drop, or you'd get In the early days, the 1880's until about knocked over the side. 1910, most of the ships were German. The -Amerika Line and North What made it interesting and nerve wracking German Lloyd dominated the trans­ was that you had to know your tides. It was atlantic traffic and owned docks up and quite a bit of manual work if you happened to down the river side of Hoboken. But be working locally, but when you· got a tow when World War I erupted, the German­ going to or Port Newark, it'd owned docks and piers were seized and take about two hours. Then you had time to locked. The German ships were relax. But you had to work like heck before eventually replaced by another great that to get your tow made up and all your shipping company, The Holland-America barges lashed together. Line. From 1910 through 1963 this major

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- 6 - in the New York f New Jersey Harbor

The main thing was, you never went to the go. Now it's nothing, but years ago same place twice or saw the same thing. something was moving, going across or up You'd do every job different every time. New and down constantly. It was really York Harbor is so interesting. I've been up challenging and fascinating." Hollis and down past the every Maupin, deckhand, Erie Railroad marine day and it just looks different every time you division.

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- 7 - The Lighterage System

The Lighterage System

"The term lighter originally referred to vessels used to lighten the load of ships attempting to dock in shallow waters."

America was once moved by freight. became known as lighterage. The term Railroad tracks crisscrossed the country, lighter originally referred to vessels used with many of the great railroads to lighten the load of ships attempting to beginning and ending at terminals on dock in shallow waters. the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Of course there were ma ny types of Because the geography of New York marine equipment moving back and Harbor dictated that it was more suitable forth across the harbor at one time. Car for terminals to be situated on the banks floats and barges moved enormous of New Jersey, a system for moving amounts of freight - some car floats freight back and forth across the Hudson could accommodate rail cars back to back became necessary. for up to three hundred feet and could line cars up next to each other three Such a system was developed and it tracks abreast. These particular car floats

Hudson Watea·fa·ont Museum

- 8 - in the New York I New Jersey Harbor were known as transfer car floats. Station absorbed the additional costs of floats had a platform in the middle of two lighterage, the shippers stayed happy but tracks and allowed freight to be moved eventually the cost to the railroads from one car to another while the railcars became prohibitive. Expenses for the stayed on the float. lighterage system continued to climb as the volume of cargo decreased. Trucking Almost none of this marine equipment and container ships quickly moved in could get anywhere under its own steam. and the railroads could no longer The only lighterage equipment that was compete. self-propelled was an occasional barge delivering mail. Most everything in the A system of moving cargo that at one harbor would have been dead in the time consisted of float bridges, car floats, water without tugboats. The tugs tugboats, ferries, and barges - more than pushed, pulled, and maneuvered - they 2500 pieces of marine equipment were the heartbeat of the lighterage chugging back and forth across the system, with each rail line from Erie, to Hudson River- has virtually disappeared. Pennsylvania Central, to New York Both the New York and New Jersey Central operating its own fleet of tugs. banks of the Hudson are no longer ports for lighterage - the river banks are now The lighterage system was swift and lined with vacant piers, abandoned float efficient - a virtual boon to the shipping bridges, and empty marine terminals. industry. Because the railroad companies

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- 9 - The Lighterage System

Railroads and the Lighterage System

"At the harbor's peak, the Pennsylvania Railroad alone had more than 500 hulls, and there were several thousand boats in the harbor."

The Port of New York and New Jersey is had terminals ending on the New Jersey one of the best deep-water ports in the side of the Hudson. Accordingly, the world. This geographical asset for lighterage system was developed for shipping presented a major problem for transferring cargo, so goods could pass railroading - the link between cargos and through to cargo ships for passage across their destinations across the the Atlantic. was virtually interrupted by the Hudson River. This efficient movement of goods across the Hudson was provided by the UnliKe most world ports where railroads railroads free of charge to their clients, at could transport goods directly to the first to compete with boats, and berths of large vessels, all but one later to keep the port a viable destination railroad company, New York Central, for shippers. By the 1920's each railroad

Hudson Waterfa·ont Museum

- 10- in the New York f New Jersey Harbor company owned a significant piece of Haven Railroad owned property. At property in the form of terminals in New Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City, was once York and New Jersey and were forced to the Erie Railroad and marine protect their investments by providing department, and the New York Central free lighterage. Railroad moved goods to terminals in Williamsburgh, and Port Morris There were freight terminals in in . Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey. On the west side of Increased expenses for lighterage and the Manhattan there were piers on Barclay steady increase in trucking for the Street, 33rd Street, and 60th Street. Even movement of cargo combined to spell the New York Central developed facilities on end of the railroads' involvement in this the New Jersey side of the Hudson to century old system of moving freight handle freight that had to cross the river. back and forth across the Hudson. By the mid 1970's Erie was the last railroad At the harbor's peak, the Pennsylvania operating a transfer tug and a carfloat in Railroad alone had more than 500 hulls, the water, and in 1975 Erie's tugboat and there were several thousand boats in Elmira made its last trip across the river the harbor. In Greenville, New Jersey, from New Jersey to Manhattan. the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the New

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- 11 - The Lighterage System

Vessels in the Harbor

"The movement of cargo back and forth across the river was accomplished with lighters- vessels used to carry freight between destinations in New York and New jersey, or between an ocean vessel and a pier."

At one time, there was an extraordinary ferries and tugboats all worked together number of boats afloat in the Hudson in this waterfront choreography. River. From the majestic ocean liners to the raucous junk boats, the sheer Most of the floating equipment could not magnitude of vessels was amazing. The move under its own steam, and had to movement of cargo back and forth across be shifted with lighterage tugboats. Most the river was accomplished with lighters- of these tugs evolved into a form that vessels used to carry freight between was relatively long and narrow, with a destinations in New York and New deckhouse to match and windows all Jersey, or between an ocean vessel and a around the wheel house. The transfer pier. Barges and scows, transfer carfloats tugs were the largest and were capable and station car floats, derrick lighters, of moving the transfer car floats loaded

Hudson Watea·front Museum

- 12- in the New York I New Jersey Harbor with rail cars three abreast and 300 feet cargo that needed special protection from back to back because their higher the elements. They were refrigerated wheelhouses provided the captain and when they carried bananas, with large mate with better visibility. ice bins at each end of the covered shed. When moisture was a problem, a stove A smaller tug was important too, for was located at the center of the shed and moving barges around within a small surrounded with an iron cage to protect area in a terminal. These tugs known as the cargo. shifting tugs or drill tugs were significantly smaller than the transfer Derrick lighters or stick lighters, had a tugs measuring about 70 feet to a single mast and boom which was used to transfer tug's 110 feet in length. hoist cargo. These lighters were sometimes used to unload their own The station car floats or terminal floats, cargo, or goods from another barge or had platforms in the middle of two tracks scow. and allowed freight to be moved from one car to another while the railcars One of the more colorful craft in the stayed on the float itself. There was a harbor were known as junk boats... "a roof over the middle platform for gang of piratical entrepreneurs who would protection from the elements, and they get a license from the City of New York. were usually docked so the end of the They were licensed to operate between sunrise platform was lined up with a warehouse and sunset ONLY, because they'd steal door. anything that wasn't nailed down. They had these raffish-looking boats with a gasoline or Barges also came in many varieties. like an open launch. They'd go Hold barges carried bulk cargo such as around buying old rope and rags and rubber coal and grain. Open deck scows could tires - only they weren't too fussy about carry materials that needed minimal where they 'bought' them." -Jack Quimby, protection such as ingots of copper and oiler and engineer, Lackawanna Railroad bales of rubber. Covered barges carried marine division.

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- 13- The Lighterage System

Lehigh Valley Covered Barge #79

"Barge operation was particularly appealing to immigrant families . There was no rent to pay and the railroad provided coal for the stove and kerosene for the lamps."

The Lehigh Valley Railroad Covered It has a hull with a flat bottom, square Barge #79 is an example of the final ends, vertical sides and a bow and stern generation of covered wooden barges. angled at about 45 degrees. Its Its proportions, doors, and the type of deckhouse has slightly angled sides and flooring used, suggest that it was built an arched roof. There are two doors on sometime after the 1890's when these either side with corresponding hatches details were standard features in covered cut into the roof to allow barge construction. Barge #79 is listed vertical hoisting of freight. The decks on the National Historic Register as are short at both bow and stern, and having been built in 1914 by the Perth there are very narrow ledges at either Amboy Drydock Company, New Jersey, side. for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. This Lehigh Valley barge stowed cargo

Hudson Waterfa-ont Museum

- 14- in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor on the main deck. Its deckhouse is NO SMOKING and SAFEIY FIRST is eleven feet, seven inches at the center, stenciled in white letters on interior and eleven feet one inch at the sides. bulkheads, cargo battens, and roof The walls are relatively light in supports. construction with five inch wide, three­ quarter inch tongue and groove boards Barge operation was particularly laid horizontally over four inch by four appealing to immigrant families. There inch studs. was no rent to pay and the railroad provided coal for the stove and kerosene The cabin that provided living quarters for the lamps. Cargo that spilled - rice, for the barge captain is located at the aft coffee, sugar, flour and spices - could be end of the deckhouse. The furnishings salvaged and bartered with other barges. still remaining are a table and stool, a Many companies preferred captains with closet, a berth and mattress, and a shelf. families to live on board, because they It has a single door on the port side, two were more apt to take pride in their windows in the aft bulkhead opening to vessels. the outside, and one in the forward bulkhead, opening into the main cargo The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge #79 is space. There is galvanized iron on the an authentic artifact from the era of center of the forward bulkhead and a railroad lighterage in the New York/New fitting for a smokestack in the ceiling Jersey Harbor. In the year she was built, above, which suggest where the stove New York had been the largest seaport was located. The barge exterior was in America for almost a century, and painted a dark red-brown with the would soon become the largest seaport in identifying number 79 painted white. the world.

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- 15- The Lighterage System

Memories of a Barge Captain

"For relaxation there were rafts we would use that would be hooked up between the barges and the piers. Families from different boats would get together and have little picnics on these rafts, and they would swim and crab and fish."

My father was a barge captain. It was a furniture for the rooms, the cabinets for demanding job. There were times that the kitchen, and he kept the boat in good cargo would require heat, so he would repair himself. My father also made have to keep a stove going in the freight swings in the freight house. While the house to keep the cargo warm. boat was empty we would play on the Sometimes the cargo needed swings, and when it was time to load the refrigeration, and the barge had an area boats, he would tie the swings up. that had to be loaded with ice. For relaxation there were rafts we would I remember my father made flower boxes use that would be hooked up between and shutters for the cabin windows. He the barges and the piers. Families from was quite a carpenter. He made all the different boats would get together and

Hudson \'Vatea·fa·ont Museum

- 16- - in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor have little picnics on these rafts, and they everywhere. Barge captain meant you would swim and crab and fish. took care of the safety of the vessel. I would clean up the boat, check the safety When I was eighteen, in 1947, I started lines, check the hatches. I checked the on the barges. I always associated cargo on and off, made manifests, and certain smells with my childhood - like kept logs. I guess the major change, from the scent of oakum and the ropes on the my father's day, was the amqunt of boats. You could get a job with the hours you had to work, and the pay. In railroad through family. I decided that the winter, it wasn't the nicest job in the I'd like to try it so I went down and world - you were out in all kinds of bad applied and got the job of barge captain. weather. But on a nice day, once you got caught up with your paperwork, it A barge captain didn't necessarily have a was a great job. - Jim O'Day, Barge pilot's license. Barges were not self­ Captain driven, tug~ had to take them

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- 17 - The Lighterage System

Cross Harbor Railroad

"The Cross Harbor Railroad is a company that operates the last remaining barge service connecting Conrail's freight service in New jersey with the Brooklyn rail yards."

The Cross Harbor Railroad is a company connections with the that operates the last remaining barge Railroad. service connecting Conrail's freight service in New Jersey with the Brooklyn Although the economics of cargo rail yards. It is the only company in the shipping in the port began changing harbor involved in the lighterage system. over thirty years ago, Cross Harbor offers an alternate route for companies to move It operates with diesel-electric their containers for shipping. They can , 10 miles of track, six car avoid the roundabout railway route, and floats and two tugboats. It's carfloats move their containerized goods directly eliminate the need for trains to take a across the harbor. roundabout route near Albany through Selkirk, and back to Brooklyn for " took a lot of railroad work

Hudson Waterfr·ont Museum

- 18- in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor away. Everything is concentrated now: Port gone because of the lack of multiple Newark, Elizabethport, Red Hook Terminal. handling." - Sal Notarile, first class pilot When you go in volume, as in years back, it and master. , was called bulk cargo. With containerization, from its origin it's placed in a container and Cross Harbor's goal is to use the harbor it's never handled again until it gets to its system again to take more of the burden destination. So that did away with most of off Hudson River crossings, and to the railroad work. They claim that the provide alternatives to trucking and volume of shipping is the same. The volume containerization that are more energy might be the same tonnage-wise, but it's all efficient, economically efficient, and concentrated in containers, and it's one environmentally efficient. dump. one pickup, and that's it. The jobs are

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- 19- The Lighterage System

Maintenance

"I think once anybody's connected with a shipyard, he will always be a shipyard man regardless. Anybody who ever worked in a yard will have a lifetime interest of some sort in it."

Since the repair and maintenance of Chicago, Illinois. marine equipment was critical to the smooth operation of the lighterage On the other side were two freight yards system, some of the railroads had their and a marine yard where all the floating own yards, drydocks, and facilities to equipment was taken care of. In the repair, rebuild, or redesign their floating early part of the 20th century, wood was equipment. king. The float bridges, the lighters, and the car floats were all made of wood - The Erie Railroad, for example, had an providing employment for many enormous facility in Jersey City, on hundred skilled carpenters. Pavonia Avenue. On one side was the railroad terminal itself, running trains to The Erie marine yard had self-contained destinations like Columbus, Ohio and shops. There was a plate shop where all

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- 20- in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor

the iron work was done, a machine shop, companies like Erie to maintain their a carpenter shop where they could own yards and drydocks, commercial handle hugh beams for oak decking, and companies like Union Dry Dock took a paint shop with gallons and gallons of over. I paint that the railroads used on all their ~ equipment. Another major change in the industry was the move from wood to steel. Prior Owning their own drydock allowed the to World War II most floating equipment railroad to accomplish major repairs as in the harbor was of wooden well. Erie's drydock was capable of construction. But during and after the picking a 400-ton tugboat out of the war the yellow pine and oak that had water and blocking it up so men could been commonplace was no longer wash it, do any necessary iron work, and available and became far too expensive paint it below the water line. to purchase. As steel moved in, companies like Bethlehem Steel were Drydocks were owned and operated by formed to fill the need on a large scale. a number of other companies as well, Bethlehem had the steel available from and typical drydock repairs are still mills at a cheaper price than anyone else, sandblasting, replacing steel plates, and and their success was capped by the painting. building of their own shipyard in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since the early part of the century the business of marine maintenance has "I think once anybody's connected with a changed quite a bit. Before World War shipyard, he will always be a shipyard man II there were over 120 lighterage and regardless. Anybody who ever worked in a towing companies in New York Harbor. yard will have a lifetime interest of some sort One drydock company, Union Dry Dock, in it. Anything that floats and is a vessel has been in business since October of would be an item for that person to look at 1908 and has seen many of these and inspect and speculate about - her changes. At one time the railroad seaworthiness and so on. The smell of the business made up about 40% of Union drydock, you know- it's a peculiar thing. In Dry Dock's yard work. Every railroad the olden days, when they still had the had a terminal on the New Jersey side of wooden boats and the caulking, you smelled the Hudson and Union Dry Dock the pitch and oakum in particular. That sort serviced the New York Central, the of gets into your system." - George Dryer, Pennsylvania, Erie-Lackawanna, B & 0, former president, Union Dry Dock & and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Repair Company. As it became more difficult and costly for

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- 21- The Lighterage System

Workers and Their Jobs

"It was a good job. I liked it very much. -Everybody helped each other out. There was a lot of camaraderie aboard the ship. The oiler helped the fireman, the fireman helped the oiler. Everyone knew his business."

There were many and varied jobs railroads' lighterage business to operate. generated by the lighterage system in the Some worked for related industries like harbor. Barge captains, longshoremen, the Soborg Woodworking Company engineers, oilers, mates, pilots, carving eagles for tugboats, or for a woodworkers, metal workers, floatsmen - company like Union Dry Dock in all had a part in moving freight from Hoboken - cleaning, painting and one side of the river bank to the other. maintaining marine equipment.

Some were working for private The jobs generated by the railroads are companies like the Meseck Towing Line, of particular interest since so many some were railroaders and worked in one railroad companies were involved in of the many capacities necessary for the their own maintenance. The Erie

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- 22 - in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor

Railroad alone had an enormous worked together for the same company, maintenance facility on Pavonia Avenue or at least in similar occupations. in Jersey City. Generation after generation worked for the railroads, where seniority was ''The railroad, say from the thirties through everything. On railroad tugs a worker the sixties, was a real going thing. In our could start out as a fireman, work his place here in Jersey City, on Pavonia Avenue, way up to oiler, and perhaps eventually were huge facilities. On one side was the make it to engineer. railroad terminal - they had twelve to fourteen tracks. They ran to Chicago and "When you're a junior you have to stand by they had two freight yards, the north and the for orders. So we wouldn't go home, we'd south. just sleep at the 'Y'. Now Hoboken wasn't known for the luxuriousness of it's overnight In the south yard the railroad had a facility accommodations, but this one had to be the known as the marine yard. In the marine pits. We didn't rent a room because the yard they took care of all the wooden floating rooms were terribly filthy. The dust was equipment, the steel floating equipment, and actually three inches thick in the 'Y' rooms. the wooden barges. The railroads had self­ In the summertime we'd sleep on the barges contained shops, such as the plate shop. If rather than go up there. there was any iron work to be done, skilled men were there with facilities, equipment, It was so bad that I would sleep on a leather plate rollers, welding, burning - the latest 'bronco' - like a leather sofa - and watch equipment. If the job was too big, or the iron Jackie Gleason till about midnight and then work was too complicated or below the water pass out 'till four in the morning. Then the line, we had a dry dock which was capable of call boy would wake you up to go down to picking up a 400-ton tugboat. Picking it up start the engines and clean the boilers. out of the water so that men could wash it, paint it, and do the necessary iron work It was a good job. I liked it very much. below the water line." - Frank Karton, Erie Everybody helped each other out. There was Railroad marine maintenance division. a lot of camaraderie aboard the ship. The oiler ·helped the fireman, the fireman helped Back then, the shoreline was the hub of the oiler. Everyone knew his business." - transportation and commerce. It was a Jack Quimby, oiler and engineer, place for straining muscles and earning a Lackawanna Railroad marine division. living. Many times whole families

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- 23- The Lighterage System

An Interview with Jack Quimby

"The best parts were the camaraderie and seeing the moving machinery. The smell of the oil and coal and everything else."

My name is Jack Quimby, and I started thousand . It carried two of with the Delaware Lackawanna Invested what they called Broadway car floats with Railroad in May of 1951 as a fireman on twenty-one cars apiece, up to the Harlem their tugs. I worked on the railroad transfer on the . ferries until the final trip, Thanksgiving evening, November 1967. Most people think that to build a coa fire you just pour in the coal. Well The tugboats had three furnace boilers, sooner or later, the furnace becam scotch boilers - about 150 pounds chock-full of ashes. So you had to rear pressure. The boats had been built the fires and pull the ashes out with as around 1901 to 1903, so they weren't too hoes, one at a time. You were fightin new at the time. They had two, three, or the clock and the steam pressure gau~ four furnaces. The Bronx was the biggest at the same time. Meantime, H one - it had four furnaces of one engineer was screaming down the hate

Hudson \Vatca·rront Museum

- 24- in the New York I New Jersey Harbor at you to keep the pressure up. It got Everything was seniority on the rather entertaining, but when you're railroads. As far as I know, from my twenty years old you don't worry about experience on tugboats, you were rated that. solely on your capacity for doing your job. The rest didn't count a hoot for I started as a coal passer - a fireman. shinola. I think that was a pretty You bailed about a ton of coal an hour, democratic way of doing it. and then you'd rake out the ashes - about a third of the weight - on the It's a way of life that's totally gone today. hour. It was quite a job. They called me There were good parts of it and there fireboy even after I got to be twenty-five were rough parts of it like anything else, and had a family of three children. but I rather enjoyed it. The best parts were the camaraderie and seeing the My father taught me something about moving machinery. The smell of the oil steam engines. He was an engineer, so and coal and everything else. The fact is, maybe I had an edge on the rest of the you're young and you're strong, and you gang. I graduated to oiler because I had think: Wow, this is the life! mechanical ability.

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- 25- The Lighterage System

An lntet·view with Sal Notarile

"In the old-time railroad, there were whistle signals. It was constant communication by whistle."

My name is Salvatore William Notarile. had about 36 crews when I first started I've been in this business since July 10, out in '52, and we were considered small 1952. I hold a first class pilot's license compared to the New York Central and and a master's license. the Pennsylvania. In the old-time railroad, there were whistle signals. It When I was a child, I used to see was constant communication by whistle. tugboats. I'd be going over the We used hand signals when the crew Manhattan by subway, looking was in view, but when we had ten, down with my father, and say "Why don't eleven, or twelve barges grouped I get a job on a boat like that?" I was a together, and made up with lines in little boy. And lo and behold, eventually between, you were obscured from the I had the opportunity to be hired. crew, and all the signals were whistles.

On the Erie, we had twelve boats. We I knew I wanted to become a captain.

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- 26 - in the New York f New Jersey Harbor

Everybody does. Everyone on deck years back, in a twenty-four hour day, wants to. Most people wouldn't admit it: you had three crews aboard. We carried "Oh, I don't want to be bothered; it's too anything and everything, including much responsibility ... " But everybody livestock. We used to take carloads of wants that license, that's for sure. When cattle and sheep right from the Erie I stood for my first class pilot's license, Railroad in Jersey City over to Hunter's you had to be sponsored by two captains Point, to the Long Island Railroad. We with a letter from the company. It was a used to have a General Motors contract written examination that took five days where we had complete automobiles, side and you had to maintain ninety percent. view mirrors and all, encased. Typical They'd give you five questions at a time cargo now, cross harbor, is newsprint, and they wouldn't waste your time or bricks, lumber, oil, syrups. their time. They could tell if you maintained a ninety percent level. If not, I miss the old crews, the old railroaders. they'd stop you right then and there and It's a whole diffe rent breed of people, the say: "Come back in thirty days." And that's railroad people versus outside marine what happened to many people. It people. Not being prejudiced, but I discouraged them from coming back after don't think you'd find a better deckhand thirty days, or discouraged them from than a railroad deckhand. The volume getting their license. I've seen people of work he does within eight hours, an who had the mental ability to pass any outsider wouldn't do in a week. As far examination, but whatever held them as work is concerned, and as far as back, I don't know. Maybe they never marine knowledge, he has it all over an wanted to face the responsibility of the outside marine man, as far as I'm boat. concerned. You can't beat a rajlroader. We're a one-crew---- outfit now, but in

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- 27- The Lighterage System

Maritime Tools

As in all industries, there are many tools that are specific to the trade. The maritime industry is no exception. Many tools have evolved over the years to accomplish both simple and complex tasks. The following tools were commonly used during the period of the lighterage system in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Adz. Displayed here is a lining adz. It is Slow ahead to stop - 1 bell used like an axe, but because of its shape, it creates a channel on timber. Half ahead to stop - 1 bell

Barge Shovel. Wooden shovel used for Full ahead to stop - 2 bells snow or cleaning up spilled cargo. This could include broken sacks of flour, Slow ahead to half ahead - 1 jingle, 1 bell sugar, grain, corn, potatoes, etc. Half ahead to full ahead - 1 jingle Bell and Gong Signal System. The three handles would be hooked up in the Stop to half astern - 2 bells wheel house. The bells would be mounted in the engine room, and each Half astern to stop - 1 bell signal told the crew a different command. The jingles, gongs and Half astern to fu ll astern - 1 jingle cowbell rings of the bell system were used in both the Steam and Diesel era. Full astern to stop - 1 bell

Stop to dead slow ahead (a pilot's Astern to slow astern - 2 jingles expression used when just enough power is wanted to keep the ship in position Full ahead to full astern - 4 bells, 1 jingle but not moving)- 1 bell, 2 jingles (pause) 3 jingles Bow Fender. A tugboat fender wrapped Stop to slow (easy) ahead - 1 bell, 2 around the bow of the tugboat to act as jingles a bumper. The wooden pegs are called fids, a kind of giant darning needle used Stop t0 half ahead - 1 bell for weaving rope.

Stop to full ahead - 1 bell, 1 jingle Canvas Water Bags. Stored water to be

Hudson \Vatcr·fa·ont Museum

- 28- in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor used for scrubbing the barge, cooking, Mankin Trophy. 1915 Sailing Trophy washing, etc. awarded by Commodore Frank Mankin to Captain Frank Totten, owner of the Caulking Iron. Used to force cotton and Amaranth. Trophy donated by oakum between seams. Commodore Joey Harbowe of the Manhattan Yacht Club, Edgewater, NJ. Caulking Mallet. This tool was used to drive a caulking iron to force cotton and Model of an Open Deck Scow. This oakum down between the seams of a model was used in the courtroom to help vessel to keep it water tight. illustrate the circumstances of accidents in workman's compensation cases. Caulking Tools and Stool. Caulking the Circa 1930's. seams of a wooden barge was a never­ ending task. Usually it could be done at Monkey's Fist. Type of knot used as a the shipyard but in case of emergency, weight at the end of a heaving line. The tools were available. For caulking the heaving line was a thinner, lighter line decks, tar was used and the caulking than the bow or stern line and served as stool brought you to the right level. For the preliminary link with the shore or the seams, cotton was stuffed in followed another vessel. Attached to the heaving by oakum and the caulking iron helped line was the heavy line (often 2" in to fill any crack to the maximum. diameter) used to tie the vessel up. The Oakum - made from hemp or jut fiber - monkey's fist enabled the heaving line to swells when wet so as to seal the seams be aimed at a certain point. tightly. Peterborough Canoe. Donated by Helen Double Bits. Bits for securing lines are Miller of West New York, NJ. A used on the decks of tugs to secure tows beautiful example of an 18' wooden and to tie up to the dock or other vessels. sailing canoe used by a family in Hoboken. Canoe clubs dotted the Longshoreman's Hooks. Used for Hudson River's shoreline as a major form hooking cargo - sacks of coffee, oats, of water recreation. grain, etc. Each had his own personal hook, the tool he showed up for Pitch Funnels. Funnels into which work with each day. Some of the molten pitch was poured for caulking examples are hand forged. deck seams. (Pitch is a distillation of tar used for waterproofing.) Seams on the Lothrop's Fog Hom. This hand-operated outside deck were periodically filled with fog horn was used aboard the Erie­ pitch tar so as to protect from rain and Lackawanna ferryboat Elmira. water leakage into the hull.

Hudson Water·fr·ont Museum

- 29- The Lighterage System

Pump Cover. An important task of the Timberhook. Wooden and metal tool Barge Captain was to keep the barge used for impaling heavy objects to carry afloat, which meant hand pumping the them. One man would be on each water out of the bilge. The original handle often used with a timber dolly to diaphragm pumps, (still on the outside move rails, logs or bulky cargo. decks of the #79), would have been covered by a wooden cover when not in Two-person Rail Tong. Tool used for use. carrying long sections of a railroad track. One rail could weigh from 70 to 90 Timber Dolly. Wooden rollers like the pounds per yard and so tongs were used modem day dolly with metal wheels. at several yard intervals to transport the Used to move rails, logs, or bulky cargo. rail segments.

Hudson Watca·fl·ont Museum

- 30- in the New York 1 New Jersey Harbor

Sources

Interviews with Frank Karton, Erie Railroad marine maintenance worker; Jack Quimby, oiler and engineer, Lackawanna Railroad marine division; Hollis Maupin, deckhand, Erie Railroad marine division; Jim O'Day, barge captain; Sal Notarile, tugboat captain, first class pilot and master; and George Dryer, former president of Union Drydock & Repair Company, Hoboken, NJ; were conducted by Jane Steuerwald and Robert Foster from 1987 through 1990 as part of an oral history project funded by the New Jersey Historical Commission.

Brouwer, Norman. The Port of New York, 1860-1985: Moving Goods Within the Port. Seaport. (Spring 1987)

Sheppard, William H. Tidewater Terminals of.the Erie Lackawanna Railway. (U.S.A.: William H. Sheppard, 1976)

Squires, Benjamin M. New York Harbor Employees. Monthly Labor Review. Guly 1918)

Taber, Thomas Townsend and Thomas Townsend III. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in the Twentieth Century, Vol.Il. (Muncy, Pennsylvania: Thomas T. Taber III, 1981)

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- 31 - Hudson Watca·front Museum o 1992 Robert Foster and Jane Steuerwald All Rights Reserved